Royseco GSA general manager: forebay groundwater levels rose; no "undesirable results" found

The Royseco Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s general manager reported to the board that recent wet years have reversed earlier declines in groundwater elevations in the forebay and that the agency found no “undesirable results.”

The update, delivered during the agency’s regular meeting, summarized the annual report for the forebay representative monitoring system. The general manager said 30 of 37 representative monitoring wells were above the measurable objective the agency set for itself; the remaining seven wells were between the measurable objective and the threshold for an undesirable result. “There were no undesirable results,” the general manager said.

The report showed groundwater elevations trending upward across the forebay after a multi‑year drought. The speaker said recent rainfall—about 16 inches in the season, roughly two inches above normal—along with reduced pumping during wet periods contributed to a net increase in groundwater storage. The general manager reported that approximately 54,000 acre‑feet of groundwater were added compared with the previous year.

Board members asked for clarification about subbasin reporting and water‑quality issues. The general manager said each subbasin submits a similar report to the Salinas Valley Basin GSA and that nitrate contamination remains an unresolved water‑quality concern. On seawater intrusion, the general manager said the northern pressure zone is being replenished by seawater intrusion in places, while the East Side shows a measurable deficit that contributes to an inland gradient driving intrusion towards the coast.

The agency will incorporate these findings into a five‑year update of its Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The general manager said the annual report has been submitted to the Department of Water Resources and that staff will circulate copies to board members. He also said the upcoming GSP update will include a methodology to identify groundwater‑dependent ecosystems in the forebay—most notably reaches of the Salinas River and parts of the Arroyo Seco that meet the agency’s depth‑to‑groundwater criteria for dependency.

The general manager emphasized that reservoir operations and the Water Resources Agency’s habitat conservation planning for species such as steelhead complicate how GDEs are assessed along the Salinas River, and said the agency will coordinate with those processes during the GSP update. No formal policy changes or votes were taken on the annual report itself during the meeting.

The meeting moved next to public comment and other agenda items.